Rwanda’s Healthcare Challenges

Despite enormous gains in every sector of development, Rwanda experiences serious healthcare challenges.

Access to healthcare is virtually non-existent for most Rwandans, and the standard of care is below what Rwandans want and need. In the Karongi District of the Western Province, healthcare is limited to 3 small hospitals which are located about two days’ walk from most residents.

During the 1994 genocide, a disproportionate
number of educated and accomplished
citizens were killed, including doctors, nurses and other health workers, leaving only one physician for every 500,000 people and one nurse for every 3,300 people.

- Population in Need: Population10.1 million;
25% of the total population is between 15 and 24 years of age

- Life expectancy: 43 years

- Scarcity of Medical professionals: There are roughly 200 practicing physicians and 3,000 nurses

Healthcare Challenges:

HIV/AIDS: There are about 190,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and treatment
is only available to 25% of those who need it.

Malaria: Malaria is one of the main causes of disease and death in Rwanda.
Only 15% of households own at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net,
a very effective tool in preventing the disease. Only 13% of children under the
age of five sleep under a net.

Tuberculosis: 89% of those with TB also are HIV positive, causing TB to be the leading cause of death for HIV.

Orphans and vulnerable children: There are over 1,000,000 orphans and
vulnerable children in Rwanda. One tenth of the population are orphans!
Approximately 210,000 children have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS.

The healthcare challenges call for a strategy that will revolutionize healthcare on the African continent and around the world. A new hospital expansion will begin soon near the grounds of the infamous Kibuye soccer stadium to serve as a teaching and training center for 726 churches in the district. Duringthe 1994 genocide more than 8,000 men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered in the stadium.

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“Although the Karongi District has more than 650,000 citizens, healthcare has been limited to three small hospitals, which are located about two days walk from most residents. By partnering with the 726 local churches spread throughout the district, access to healthcare will take a giant leap forward”
Kay Warren,
Executive Director of Saddleback Church HIV/AIDS Initiative author of Dangerous Surrender

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“Any church can implement the C.H.U.R.C.H. strategy – rich, poor, large, small, urban or rural. It doesn’t cost money to care for sick people, encourage HIV testing, mobilize volunteers, remove stigma, promote healthy sexual behavior, or remind people to take their medication.”

Kay Warren,
Executive Director,
Saddleback Church HIV/AIDS Initiative,